After two graphic novels were pulled from the shelves of the Marshall Public Library in Marhsall, Missouri at the request of a patron, the library is forming a committee to determine what books are suitable for the library to carry. Publishers Weekly reports:
Amy Crump, director of the Marshall Public Library, said once the new policy is place the two books will be reconsidered for circulation under the new guidelines, "as if they were new." Fun Home and Blankets were challenged earlier this month by a Marshall patron who claimed the books were inappropriate because of explicit graphics.
Crump said this is the first time any book has been challenged by a library patron, "which is probably why we've never had a selection policy." She said the new policy,"is not aimed at just these two books," and once implemented, "we'll be able to make decisions about all kinds of books." The materials selection committee will include six of the eight members of the board and two or three library staffers experienced in collection development, said Crump. "The committee will consult with other libraries about their policies and with attorneys," she said. The process of developing the guidelines and gettting approval by the board will take a minimum of two months.
The Marshall library has approximately 75 graphic novels in its collection. All books, including graphic novels, are placed in adult, young adult or children's sections as appropriate. Fun Home, Bechdel's story of growing up a lesbian with a closeted gay father, was placed in the adult nonfiction section, said Crump, while Blankets, an autobiographical story about Thompson's Christian fundamentalist childhood, was originally in the young adult section.
Is it just us, or is this whole "censoring books in libraries" thing getting worse instead of better? You can read more about the issue in general Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's website.
